I Solemnly Swear that I am Up to No Good
by Jily Trash
Summary: A collection of prompts for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition, Season 4.
1. Opposites Attract

**Main prompt: The Fox and the Hound**

 **Extra prompts (for Beaters):**

 **8\. (word) gamble**

 **13\. (song) 'Fireflies' by Owl City**

 **Tutshill Tornadoes, Beater 1**

* * *

He was a natural Slytherin, of the purest blooded family you could find: the Malfoys.

She was an obvious Gryffindor, from the pure-blood Weasley family and the Muggle Granger family.

Their parents were mortal enemies.

At their birth, they were enemies too, even though they had no idea who the other was.

But then all the compartments were full, and she was forced to sit with him.

* * *

 **2017**

"Hi there," she said, peeking into a compartment that was empty except for one boy. "Can I sit here?" He looked up from his book, _Quidditch Through the Ages_ , and nodded.

"Sure."

She gave him a grateful smile and ducked into the compartment. He noted her flaming red hair. _A Weasley,_ he decided. _Granger-Weasley, I suppose. I'm not supposed to talk to her. Our parents are enemies..._ He watched her read her own book, a Muggle one called _To Kill a Mockingbird._ Her blue eyes moved quickly over the pages, and she muttered at the characters as she read.

Scorpius found the freckles across her nose quite intriguing. Her blue eyes were rather bright. She was a Granger-Weasley. She was supposed to be his enemy. _Don't do it!_ his mind screamed as he opened his mouth. _Oh, shut up,_ he thought.

"I'm Scorpius Malfoy," he told her. "What's your name?"

* * *

 **2020**

Rose's dad was furious from her seeing Scorpius Malfoy, but she didn't care, and him being angry at her wasn't going to stop her from doing it. She lay in his arms in the Astronomy Tower, feeling quite comfortable staring outside at the starry sky and feeling a cool breeze stir her hair slightly. She hadn't said anything in quite a while, so he decided he'd say it.

"Your dad hates me." She twisted in his arms to look at him.

"No he doesn't. He hates your dad. He just dislikes you. Disliking someone is different than hating someone."

"Oh, he hates me all right," Scorpius said grimly. "You remember what he did to me when I came over that one time?"

"Maybe," Rose said reluctantly. "But - in his defense, that was the first time you came over, and he didn't even know that we were seeing each other. And you're the son of his mortal enemy."

"I don't understand the tension between our families," Scorpius complained. "I didn't when I was eleven and we met, and I still don't understand now."

"They fought on different sides of the war," Rose explained. "And anyway, my uncle scorned your father on their first day of school. You don't do that to a Malfoy and get away with it."

"You've done that plenty of times to me," Scorpius teased gently.

"Yes, but you really deserved it!" Rose said.

"Did I deserve it when your annoying cousin scorned me?"

"Maybe not," she admitted. "But James is annoying to everybody. He gets away with it, being the oldest son of Harry Potter and all."

"I suppose." Scorpius was silent, and then he went on: "My mother wrote me a letter the other day."

"Oh?"

"She rarely does that."

"Do I want to know why she wrote it?"

"Maybe not," he laughed.

"Tell me anyway," she said.

"Fine, but I warned you. She told me to stay away from you. She told me that I was betraying my family by 'consorting with the enemy'."

"Oh, for Merlin's sake," Rose snapped irritably. "Are you serious?"

"Sorry." Rose snuggled closer to him. She played with the fingers on his big hand before saying,

"And are you?"

"Am I what?"

"Going to stay away from me."

"Of course not." He pressed a gentle kiss to her head. "To me, you are not Rose Granger-Weasley, a mortal enemy. You are just Rose. And I love you for that. I don't care what my parents say, or what your parents say. I love you."

"I love you too," she said, smiling into his chest.

They resumed their quiet stargazing. Rose's eyelids had started to droop when Scorpius gasped and sat upright. Rose was jostled off his chest.

"What is it?" she asked.

"A shooting star!" he said. "And there - another one! And another one!"

"No way," Rose said. "No way did you see three shooting stars and I missed them. How did I miss them?" she demanded. "I was staring right out the window."

"It's all about belief," he said. "You wouldn't believe me if I saw ten million shooting stars, and somehow managed to catch them in a jar for you."

" 'It's all about belief'," Rose mimicked in a deep voice, and Scorpius laughed. "You couldn't see three shooting stars even if you did believe. Let me tell you something, Scorpius Malfoy. I believe in one thing and one thing only."

"What's that?" he asked her.

"You and I," she said. And she reclaimed her place tight in his arms.

* * *

When he learned that his daughter was dating Scorpius Malfoy, he was furious.

When she learned that her son was dating Rose Granger-Weasley, she went ballistic.

They both wrote letters to their children, telling them to stay apart.

Needless to say, Rose and Scorpius did not stay apart. They loved each other.

Love was a gamble, just like life. You had to play it right.

And they played it just right.


	2. Not a Happy Ghost

**Main prompt: The Bloody Baron**

 **Extra prompts (for Beaters):**

 **3\. (quote) 'Real, or not real?'**

 **7\. (word) tree**

 **14 (dialogue) "Can't say I'm too fond of house-elves."**

 **Tutshill Tornadoes, Beater 1**

 **Word count without A/N: 2,049**

* * *

The Bloody Baron was not a happy ghost. This issue may have stemmed from the fact that he was called the Bloody Baron when in fact, he had only killed two people. (One of them being himself, but which wizard or witch cared about technicalities?) Or maybe, he was not happy because Slytherin had lost the House Cup to Gryffindor for six years straight after a six year streak themselves. (Of course, it was all because that upstart Harry Potter had come to Hogwarts and was immensely favored by the teachers, but again, which wizard or witch cared about technicalities?)

Maybe the Bloody Baron was not happy because he was constantly being called on by the other ghosts to reprimand Peeves the Poltergeist. It got a little tiring telling Peeves to erase whatever profanities he had written on the chalkboard. The other ghosts expected the Bloody Baron to be annoyed about dealing with Peeves; and he was. But the main reason he was not a happy ghost, was a reason that nobody expected of him in a million years.

The Bloody Baron was not a happy ghost, because he was suffering of a broken heart.

* * *

"Helena, please!"

"Go away!" Helena shouted. "I don't want to talk to you!"

"Well, I want to talk to you!" the Baron yelled. "And your mother wants me to talk to you too!"

The door opened and Helena Ravenclaw poked her head outside. The Baron felt a stab of guilt as he saw how bloodshot and puffy her eyes were.

"My mother wants to talk to me?" she asked in a strangled voice.

"Yes!" the Baron said, feeling hopeful.

"Tell my mother to leave me alone. And you leave me alone too," she snarled, before slamming the door shut on him. "GO AWAY!"

That was only a milder fight. It happened about the same way every time though - the Baron offered his advances to Helena. She rejected him. Then he followed her, trying to get her to talk to him, and she shut him out. Literally.

The Baron waited by the door for a few minutes, then reluctantly left to speak to Helena's mother.

* * *

"You're really terrible at this," Rowena Ravenclaw snorted. She didn't bother looking up from the parchment she was scribbling away on as the Baron stood uncomfortably in the Headmistress's office at Hogwarts.

"Well, I'm sorry that you've raised such a snooty, stubborn daughter! And why do you even want me to marry her?"

"Because you're rich and she could do with some extra gold. Then I don't have to spend money on her anymore," Rowena answered. "But you're in love with her anyway, aren't you? Maybe. Because she's beautiful and smart, blah blah blah. But those good genes came from me, not her father. _Duh_."

"You are the most immature Headmistress Hogwarts has ever seen," the Baron growled.

"I'm also the only Headmistress Hogwarts has ever seen," Rowena pointed out. The Baron let out a cry of frustration, and Rowena finally set her quill down and turned to look at him. "Love really is hard," she said sympathetically. "And I feel for you, having to go after my daughter. She'll come around. Maybe. But in the meanwhile, do you want to wear the sparkly tiara of wisdom to get some more pursuing ideas?"

She gestured towards her diadem, which sat in the corner of her desk.

"Why not, I'll give it a spin," the Baron grunted, which was a really weird thing for a Scottish wizard in the 11th century to say, but Rowena hooked the diadem onto her quill and held it out to him. He took it carefully and placed it on his head. Rowena went back to writing.

The Baron stood there, feeling a little silly at wearing a princess tiara and expecting it to do something...well, magical. But then a slight buzzing filled his ears.

 _O wearer of the diadem, what advice do you seek?_ he heard in his head. _I, uh...I want to know how to make Helena Ravenclaw fall in love with me,_ the Baron thought.

 _You must seek out Taffy the house elf,_ the voice went on. _She can answer your questions. And now you must remove the diadem and return it to its rightful owner._

 _Okay,_ the Baron thought. He took the diadem off of his head and set it back down on the desk.

"Well?" Rowena asked, still writing away.

"The diadem...voice...thing told me to seek out Taffy the house elf," the Baron said.

"Then you must seek out Taffy the house elf," Rowena told him. "She works in the kitchens. Go seek her out, and then get back to persuading my daughter to get married to you. You are dismissed!"

* * *

If you asked the Baron to describe house-elves, the first thing he would say is that their voices are squeaky. While one of the smaller ones fetched Taffy, he named the other little ones running around him. _Squeaky Senior, Squeaky Junior, Squeaky Senior-Senior, Pipsqueak Senior, Pipsqueak Junior..._

"Taffy to see you, sir!" Pipsqueak Senior-Senior announced. "Here is a chair, sir! Would you like anything to eat, sir?"

"Er," he said.

"Very well, treacle tart it is!" Pipsqueak Senior-Senior said. "I shall be right back with that, sir!" Pipsqueak Senior-Senior darted away, and the Baron turned his attention to the house-elf in front of him.

"Are you Taffy?" he asked.

"Yes, I am," she agreed. "And are you the Baron?"

"Yes, I am," he agreed. There was an uncomfortable silence broken only by Pipsqueak Senior-Senior shoving the treacle tart into the Baron's hands, bowing, and scurrying away.

"What do you wish from me?" Taffy asked him.

"Er," he said.

"Very intelligent," Taffy agreed. The Baron took a bite of treacle tart. As the delicious flavor exploded across his tongue, he collected his thoughts. Then he said,

"I wore Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem today. It told me to seek you out."

"What is your struggle?"

"I'm - er, I'm in love with a woman. A girl, really. A maiden. I'm in love with her and I want to marry her and her mother wants me to marry her too, but she doesn't love me and she doesn't want to marry me."

Taffy considered this.

"Real or not real?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Is it real or not real?"

"Is what real or not real?"

"Is your love for her real or not real?"

"Of course it's real!" the Baron snapped. "I am in love with bloody Helena Ravenclaw and I don't care what she bloody says! We're going to bloody be together!"

"My advice is this: follow your heart," Taffy said. "And be patient. If you rush things with Helena Ravenclaw, you shall surely ruin everything. She is very high-strung. Thank you for coming by today. Good-bye!" Taffy disappeared as a crowd of house-elves swarmed about his knees, forcing him to walk towards the entrance to the kitchen instead of falling over.

"Good-bye!" Pipsqueak Senior-Senior (or was that Pipsqueak Junior?) squeaked, and the Baron was rather forcefully thrown from the kitchens.

He glared at the bowl of fruit for a minute, then muttered,

"Can't say I'm too fond of house-elves."

* * *

 _A month or two later._

The Baron was summoned to Rowena Ravenclaw's office on a cold February day. The headmistress did not look her normal self - in fact, she looked quite pale and sickly.

"Does this meeting have anything to do with your daughter's disappearance?" the Baron asked. His gaze was drawn towards her desk. "And...your diadem is gone."

"Yes, I know it's gone," Rowena snapped, wringing her hands anxiously. "Oh, I've screwed things up for real now!"

"Why? What did you do?"

"I called her to my office a month ago, as you very well know," Rowena began. "I told her that she would marry you, or I would disinherit her. This was clearly the wrong thing to say."

"What did she do?" the Baron asked, starting to feel butterflies in his stomach.

"Oh - oh, she grabbed my diadem and left!" Rowena moaned.

"She - she left?" the Baron repeated.

"Yes, you dunderhead. My daughter ran away with my diadem!" The Baron began to feel angry over his nervousness - Rowena had caused her daughter to run away with a powerful magic object because the Baron wanted to marry her. But it was because the Baron wanted to marry her. So it was his fault.

"I'm going after her," the Baron announced.

"What?"

"I'm going after your daughter," the Baron repeated. "I'm going to track her down, retrieve your diadem, and bring her back. And I'll hopefully be engaged when I come back. Keep the school safe!" he said as he charged valiantly from the room.

* * *

It took many days and many weeks, but the Baron eventually found Helena Ravenclaw in a forest in Albania.

"Helena?" he called, advancing forward into the dark trees, his wand held out in front of him and his other hand resting on his knife. "Helena, please come out."

"No!" He heard the hysterical shriek before he saw her, slipping through the trees in a flash of gray.

" _Stupefy_!" he roared, aiming his wand at her. Helena shrieked again and fell. The Baron was at her side in a minute. " _Rennervate,_ " he muttered. Helena's eyes fluttered open. "Don't freak out," he said, just as she let out the loudest, most high-pitched scream he had ever heard in his life.

"Get off of me!" she yelled, squirming and wriggling under his grip.

"I'm just trying to make sure you don't run away again!" the Baron snapped. "So will you stop moving, or I'll Stun you again!" Under any normal circumstance, he would not have used those tones with her, but he was beginning to feel rather irritated with the woman he loved, and he couldn't help it.

Helena fell quiet at his threat.

"Now, where is the diadem?" the Baron asked.

"I don't have it," Helena said, a smirk growing on her face.

"Did you lose it?" he demanded.

"No, I hid it," she said, the smirk developing. "Somewhere you'll never find it. In a father of this place, and a forefather, and a fore-forefather."

"So you hid it in a tree," the Baron guessed.

"Maybe," she admitted, "but still, you'll never find it. There are millions of trees in this forest."

"Your mother is heartbroken, Helena." The Baron changed tactics quicker than he had Stunned her. "She is a shell of her former self. And I - I've missed you, Helena. Please come home to your mother. And please come home to me."

"I don't love you," Helena snarled. "And I never will."

"Marry me, Helena," the Baron pleaded. "Please."

"Never!" Helena cried. "I would rather marry a lowly, Muggleborn man that I don't know over you."

The Baron recoiled, as if he had been hit with a stinging hex.

"You should _not_ have said that," he growled. Memories of her rejects began to flood back into his mind, every time she insulted him or turned him down. He had let her step all over him while they were at Hogwarts, but that was over. He was done with Helena Ravenclaw. She didn't want to tell him where her mother's diadem was - fine. She didn't want to come back quietly - _fine_. But she wasn't coming back at all.

The Baron unsheathed his dagger and quick as a flash, plunged it into her chest.

* * *

The day Helena Ravenclaw died was the day the Bloody Baron's heart was broken. It had suffered many rejects from her, and seeing her dead at his feet was too much for his poor soul. He pulled the dagger from her limp body and stabbed himself in the heart. And so his time as a living man ended.

He became known as the Bloody Baron, the ghost of Slytherin House, but he was never again known as the man who loved Helena Ravenclaw. He was never again happy. He never again smiled. He refused to speak to the Gray Lady, the ghost of Ravenclaw House, Helena Ravenclaw. And he had a strong dislike for house-elves, especially the line that came after Taffy.

And it was all because someone asked, 'Real or not real?' and he answered, 'Real.'


	3. A Visit to Knockturn Alley

**Main prompt: Knockturn Alley**

 **Extra prompts:**

 **1\. (dialogue) "I'm bored. Play with me!"**

 **2\. (word) dominoes**

 **Tutshill Tornadoes, Beater 1**

* * *

"Ow! Bloody hell, Evans!" Lily Evans looked on at Marlene McKinnon unsympathetically as her best friend rubbed her head.

"You deserved it," Lily said sternly. "You shouldn't have been talking about James and me."

"Why? There's everything to talk about," Marlene said. "Head Boy and Girl succumbed to passions known only by them - okay, I'll stop, I'll stop!" she said hastily as Lily raised her hand again.

"That's what I thought," the redhead muttered. "Now come on. I want to get some books and still have time to look around before James comes." This was obviously a bad thing to say, for Marlene's eyes gleamed.

"Oho! You're meeting with Mr. Potter, are you, my dear girl?" Lily resisted from commenting that she sounded impressively like Professor Slughorn; instead, she pulled out her wand and aimed it at Marlene threateningly.

"Give me one more reason," she snapped. "And I'll do it." Marlene did not look frightened at all - in fact, she actually looked slightly amused, and this did not make Lily very happy.

"You wouldn't hex me," Marlene snorted.

"Try me," Lily snarled.

"Look, Lilypad, do you really want a visit from Ministry officials so close to Christmas? They'll snap your wand in two, and you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say, 'Sirius Black is an amazing sex god and he has a super hot body.' "

"First of all, _ew_ ," Lily said, "and second of all, I'm seventeen already. Merlin, you're a terrible friend." She pocketed her wand anyway, and the two girls continued trudging through the snow.

* * *

"Are Dorky and Mary coming along later today?" Lily asked absently, moving her finger along a row of books. She selected one at random and pulled it out.

"Merlin, do you really call Meadowes 'Dorky'?" Lily shrieked, and dropped the book she held on her foot.

"Excellent reaction, Evans, really," Sirius Black commented, peering at the book. "You should probably pick that up." Lily glared at him, but picked the book up anyway.

"So, Evans, does Meadowes know you call her Dorky?" Sirius inquired, leaning against a bookshelf casually, crossing his legs.

"What are you doing here, Sirius?" Lily sighed.

"Well, I _was_ looking for my girlfriend, but I couldn't find her, so I settled for annoying you instead."

"Marlene's in the back. Now go away," Lily ordered.

"That's not very nice, Evans." Sirius uncrossed his legs, stood up straight, and meandered over to her. "And what would you say, Evans, if I told you that your boyfriend is currently walking towards this bookstore?" Lily's heart jumped into her throat, but she tried to appear nonchalant.

"Stop calling me Evans. I have a name, you know."

"You ruin everything," Sirius muttered. He heaved a great sigh. "All right, then. What would you say, _Lily_ , if I told you that your boyfriend is walking into this very store right this instant?"

"I've got no idea, because you haven't told me yet," she said innocently, and was unable to keep a smile from spreading as Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Fine, Lily. Fine. Your boyfriend is walking towards us. What're you gonna say now, huh?" Lily turned to face him, a smirk now plastered on her face.

"Marlene is chatting up a hot employee in the back."

"WHAT?!" he exploded. "Evans, why didn't you tell me?"

"You didn't ask me," she pointed out, but he was already gone.

"Hey, Evans." A new voice was heard, and Lily's smile reappeared in full. She put her book back on the shelf and turned to face the newcomer.

"Hey, Potter," she murmured, taking a step towards her boyfriend and trailing her fingers over his chest lightly. She kissed him soundly before pulling away and looking up at him. "How are you?"

"I was feeling a little under the weather, but just a minute ago, I got a whole lot better," he answered quickly. "You look great."

"Thanks," she said, and at that moment she felt like she could never get happier. "Let's get out of here," Lily suggested. "I didn't find anything I liked anyway."

"Good. I was beginning to feel as if I'd have to drag you out of the bookstore," he teased.

"You won't," Lily promised. "Let's go." They made their way out, and into the snowy Diagon Alley road.

"Where to, Miss Evans?" James asked, slipping his hand into hers.

"Well, I'm really cold and could go for a butterbeer. but it's no fun drinking without Sirius, so I thought maybe you could take me into Knockturn Alley?" His grip on her hand tightened, and she gazed pleadingly into his eyes.

"It's not safe for you," James grunted.

"But I'll be safer with you, and who knows, I might end up saving you! Please," she persisted.

"Fine, but only for ten minutes," James reluctantly agreed. "And I'm holding on to you for the entire time to make sure you don't disappear." Lily desperately wanted to make a snarky comment, but she took one look at the stony glare on his face, and wisely kept her mouth shut.

* * *

Several witches leered at Lily and James as they descended into Knockturn Alley.

"Lovely little lady you've got there," an old wizard rasped. James flipped him the middle finger and glared at him.

"Calm down," Lily whispered. "Don't think about that. Think about how wonderful it is to be spending time with your smart, beuatiful, strong, amazing girlfriend."

"That's laying it on a bit thick," James muttered.

"Shut up," Lily said, smacking him playfully.

* * *

Ten minutesx was well past, and James wanted to leave, but Lily insisted on dragging him to Borgin and Burke's.

"I've heard so much about all the cool stuff there. _Please_ , James, please!" she pleaded, and with a sigh, he agreed, because there was nothing worse than a disappointed girlfriend.

"Honestly, Lilys, you're acting more like a three-year-old than a seventeen-year-old," he grumbled as they entered. "And don't you know, this shop only sells Dark artifacts?"

"I'm _sorry_ , I'm just a little - ooh, look at that necklace!" she squealed.

" 'Ooh, look at that necklace!' " James mimicked.

"Shut up, you." Lily shoved him away from her. "Uh - excuse me? Sir? Mr. Borgin?" she called as the pair moved on from the necklace to a black set of dominoes. A gray-haired man appeared so suddenly that Lily nearly jumped out of her skin.

"I am Mr. Burke, thank you very much," he hissed. "What do you want?" Lily pointed a shaky finger at the set of black dominoes.

"I was wondering what these did, Mr. Burke."

"Those can be used as Portkeys, but they are mainly enchanted."

"Enchanted to do what?" Lily inquired. James tightened his grip on her shoulder as Burke looked her up and down before replying.

"These dominoes are enchanted to immobilize or turn a person invisible. If you take an odd-numbered one, you are imbolized. If you take an even-numbered one, you turn invisible. Good day." Burke slithered off without waiting to see if Lily had any other questions. She exchanged troubled glances with James, then the two exited the store.

* * *

It was about time to Disapparate from Diagon Alley to Lily's home. Lily had a warm, fuzzy feeling in her stomach (because of the three butterbeers and a firewhiskey she'd had) and she was a little dizzy, but she was giggly, and James was suppressing sighs as he supported her.

"Lily - love - let's go," he called to her as she tore herself free of his grasp and began making snow angels. "Your mom is going to kill me for getting you back late."

"Who cares!" she shouted, rolling over.

"Lily - " James broke off as she suddenly went completely still. "Lily!" he shouted, running to her side.

"Look," she whispered, pointing. James followed her finger to where several men were setting up life-size chess pieces. "I'm bored. Play with me!" Lily exclaimed, and she scrambled up to race towards the chess pieces.

* * *

"F5 to C3," Lily directed.

"Why would you do that? Thats such a - OW!" James let out a stream of profanities as the piece Lily had moved smashed into him. " _Lily,_ ow!"


	4. Valour

**Main prompt: Write a tragic story about next generation characters**

 **Extra prompts:**

 **5\. (opening sentence) It had happened again.**

 **13\. (quote) 'It's easy to make a decision if you already know what the outcome will be.' - Armin, _Attack On Titan_**

 **15\. (word) valour**

 **Tutshill Tornadoes, Beater 1**

* * *

It had happened again. James was studying in the library when he was approached by his cousin, Roxanne Weasley. 'She's at it again,' Roxanne sighed to James. 'Can you go fetch her?'

'I have to study for N.E.W.T.s, I'm going to murder her.' James rolled his eyes. 'Where is she?'

'Why don't you use that stupid map of yours?' Roxanne snapped. 'Look, I appreciate you getting her out of these situations and all, but I don't like how you constantly talk crap about her, and to her. She's my best friend, remember.'

'How could I ever forget?' James grumbled. He began packing up his essay, quill, and ink, all too aware of Roxanne watching him with narrowed eyes. 'So do you know where she is or not?' James asked as the two made their way out of the library. 'And how do you know about my map, anyway?'

'Of course I know where she is, I wouldn't be coming to you if I didn't,' Roxanne replied. 'And, come on, James, everybody knows about your map.'

'Maybe,' he agreed. 'Why don't you go make sure she stays where she is? I'll grab the map and come find you.'

'Hurry up,' she answered.

* * *

' _I solemnly swear that I am up to no good_.' James grinned as the Marauder's Map unfolded before his eyes, but the grin disappeared as he caught sight of the thing he didn't want to see the most: Lily Potter's name, in a corner of the kitchens. Roxanne Weasley's was right next to it. In a hurry, he scooped up the map and his wand, before racing out of his dormitory. He sprinted out of the Gryffindor common room, hurtled out of the tower entrance, and dashed down the hallway, millions of thoughts running through his head. The most common one was damn you, Lily.

He arrived at the kitchens slightly out of breath. He impatiently tickled the green pear, snatched the door handle that it turned into, and entered the kitchen.

'About time.' Roxanne was at his side instantly. 'She won't listen to me and put the alcohol down.'

'Dammit, did she really get into the Firewhisky _again_?' James sighed. 'Alright, let's do this.' He steeled his nerves and headed over to a small, red-haired girl crouched in a corner. Around her lay empty bottles of Firewhisky; she held one in her hand. Roxanne followed James at a distance as he knelt next to her.

'Lily,' he whispered. 'Lily, you need to stop this.'

'Life is hard,' his little sister slurred. 'Alcohol makes it better.' She waved the bottle at him. 'Bottoms up.'

'No, no, no.' James pulled the drink from her grasp and handed it to Roxanne.

'Why'd you do that?'

'Because alcohol is not good for you,' he said slowly, as if he were speaking to a three year old. 'Alcohol makes you do stupid things.'

'It makes me feel good,' Lily complained.

'Not in the morning when you have a hangover. Up you go.' James grasped her by the forearms and pulled her to her feet, where she wobbled violently before suddenly turning and hitting James.

'Ow - dammit, Lily - stop!' James grabbed her hands and pinned them together. 'What the hell?'

'Let _go_ of me!' Lily demanded.

'No,' James snapped. 'You're coming back with us to the Gryffindor Tower, or else I'm going to write a letter to Mum and tell her all about your drinking issues.' Lily stopped fighting.

'You wouldn't dare.'

'Try me,' James growled. 'You're in a wrong state of mind. You just need some rest, and then you'll see straightly. Roxanne, come help me,' he added. Lily's friend grasped one of Lily's arms. Her face was full of concern as the odd group exited the kitchen and made their way to the Gryffindor Tower slowly.

'Life is weird,' Lily said dreamily, coming out of her state of anger and switching moods completely. 'You know, sometimes it makes you just want to throw yourself off the highest tower in the castle. Like that one.' She nodded towards the door they were passing, which led to the Astronomy Tower.

'Oh, no, you don't,' James muttered. He tightened his grip on her arm considerably.

'Have you ever wanted to kill yourself?' Lily inquired. 'I know I have. People don't like me - they think I talk too much - and someone exploded my cauldron in Potions the other day.'

'Don't think about suicide, honey, it's not good,' Roxanne murmured.

'Don't talk to me like I'm a three year old,' Lily hissed. 'Nobody acts like I'm the fourteen year old I actually am. They act like I'm three and I hate it and I just want to go away!' In a sudden fit she wrenched herself out of her brother's grasp and dashed back for the Astronomy Tower door. By the time James and Roxanne caught up to her, she was standing on the window frame.

'Lily,' James said in an alarmed tone. 'Come down from there. You wouldn't actually do it.' He took steps towards her, but Lily whipped her wand at him.

'Don't think about it.'

'Lily, I'm stronger than you, and more experienced, you shouldn't be threatening me with a wand,' James started, but this was the wrong thing to say.

'Fine,' Lily snapped. 'Don't move, or I'll leap. I swear.' She raised an eyebrow at them. James turned back to Roxanne, who was trembling.

'Go get a teacher,' he murmured as quietly as he possibly could. 'And hurry.' She nodded, and backed out of the tower.

'You know, I really have thought about suicide,' Lily went on quietly. She traced her finger up and down the window frame. 'I've thought about cutting - or jumping - or - or, I don't know. I just don't want to do this anymore. I can't,' she continued desperately. 'Don't you understand, James? The way I'm living - it's not working, and I can't do this anymore.'

'Lily, please come down from there, and we can talk this over. Please,' James begged. But Lily shook her head slowly.

'No,' she whispered. 'No. James, I may be drunk, but it's easy to make a decision if you already know what the outcome will be. Don't miss me, James.' His throat went dry, and he made a leap for her, as she stepped out the window. He reached the window a second too late, his hand reaching out.

'LILY!' he screamed, watching his little sister fall, and it seemed like it was slow motion, because he saw her eyes close, and he saw her red hair fanning out around her face. 'LILY!'

* * *

The Potter family sat in the first row of the church. Behind them was the Granger-Weasley family. Both families were completely clothed in black. Lily's coffin sat at the front of the church, and as James glanced at it, he felt the familiar grief creeping up on him, the grief he had felt ever since Lily had committed suicide in front of his very eyes.

'How are you holding up, James?' Roxanne moved next to him.

'How do you think I'm holding up, Roxanne?' he asked bleakly. 'I watched her die.'

'It was my fault too,' she whispered. 'If I had hurried with finding a teacher -'

James shook his head.

'It wouldn't have stopped her. She knew she was going to do it. Nobody could have stopped her.'

'Did you write a speech?'

'Of course I did,' James snapped.

'Read it to me?' she asked, leaning her head on his shoulder. 'Then maybe you won't be as scared when you go up and give it.'

'I'm not scared,' he protested, but he whispered what he had written anyway:

'What is valour? Valour is boldness or determination in facing great danger. Valour is heroic courage. Valour is bravery. Valour is my little sister when she killed herself by leaping off the Astronomy Tower. Some of you may not think that was brave. Most of you probably won't think it was brave. But screw that, because I know that was brave. She admitted everything to me before she leaped, and that took bravery. Telling someone your darkest secrets is brave. Especially your older brother, who's the most annoying person in the world.

'To me, Lily Luna Potter is the definition of valour. To me, Lily Luna Potter is the definition of courage. And to me, Lily Luna Potter was the best sister anyone could ask for. Thanks, Lil. I'll always owe you one.'

He finished and tucked his paper away. Roxanne looked at him, tears streaming down her face.

'That was brilliant,' she whispered. 'Really, really brilliant.'

'Not as brilliant as Lily was,' James whispered back, and the two of them shared a quiet, tragic moment of peace for the sister and friend they had both lost.


End file.
